Risk is something every entrepreneur has to deal with. Whether you’re new to entrepreneurship or already managing businesses small, large and in-between understanding and mitigating risk is one of the most critical aspects of establishing a new business.

The better you understand the nature of risk, the easier you will find it to separate what you know you don’t know, from what you don’t know you don’t know.

Distribution is marketing, sales, advertising and business development, and it is key to every business. It’s the engine that makes the car go. Regardless of how great your product or service is, if no one knows about it, it is not going to sell.

Freelancers on sites like oDesk can be much cheaper than automating with software, and valuable in a pinch if you want to staff up for a short term project. It’s long term projects, building your business, and getting persistent relief from the stresses of entrepreneurship, that oDesk probably won’t be your best solution.